Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council postpones Flock license-plate reader contract amendment pending policy review
Summary
The council voted 5-2 on Feb. 4 to postpone approval of a $124,068.49 contract amendment with Flock Group Inc. for additional license-plate recognition equipment and software until a council review of related policy (target: first meeting in June). Councilmembers and staff debated data-retention, privacy protections and which body adopts policy.
The San Marcos City Council voted 5-2 on Feb. 4 to postpone consideration of a contract amendment with Flock Group Inc. for additional license-plate recognition (LPR) cameras and software. The amendment proposed $124,068.49 for the first year, with options to renew for three one-year extensions; staff said the purchase exceeded the city’s $100,000 purchasing threshold and was therefore before council.
Councilmember Miss Rodriguez moved to postpone so the item could be considered after council-level review of a technology and privacy policy; her motion said the item should not return until council has reviewed and provided comment, with a target of the first council meeting in June unless the policy work concludes sooner. Mister Scott seconded the motion to postpone; the motion passed 5 to 2.
Rodriguez said she wanted the city to reexamine “data usage, data retention, data sharing” and specifically questioned the department’s 30-day retention standard for some LPR data. Chief Stan Standard said the department’s policy was promulgated June 24, 2022 and revised July 29, 2024 and that it follows the accredited Texas best practice 7.36. Standard said operational cameras and several batches already are in place and that the 30-day retention “gives citizens and detectives enough time” for victims to report crimes and for detectives to complete follow-up.
Council discussion centered on two topics: whether council should co-author or require specific changes to an operational police policy and the technical details of data retention and sharing. City staff, legal counsel and the police chief said the policy itself is an operational policy under the chief’s purview but that staff can prepare a revised draft addressing council’s privacy concerns and present it for review. The council set a target to revisit the item when council-level policy review is complete or by the first council meeting in June 2025, whichever is sooner.
During the discussion Chief Standard said there have been multiple camera purchase batches, and that grant funding covered earlier cameras; he also said there are 19 cameras reflected in recent grant activity and that a set of 14/19 cameras before council exceeded the $100,000 threshold and was why purchasing brought the item to council. Staff indicated Flock representatives were available to answer technical questions.
